The G.O.A.T. Gallery of N.B.S Radios

The Greatest-of-All-Time Gallery of Never-Before-Seen-Radios!

(G.O.A.T. N.B.S. Page)

Welcome to our G.O.A.T. N.B.S. page of radios!

We've seen a lot of radios over the years. No B.S.! The radios on this page are one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen, never-knew existed models we've come across.

In a collecting hobby where "rare" is the key operative, N.B.S. represents the rarest of the rare.

We enjoy sharing everything about old radios. We will continue to add to this page in the future as more GOAT NBS's are found.

We welcome your photos and a brief write-up. If it's something we've never seen before, we will happily post it for others to enjoy. Send to retroradiofarm@gmail.com.

This page will be updated as new radios need to be added or taken off. Some of the radios on this page are for sale or have been sold.

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1955 Zenith Broadway Factory One Off Knobs and Grill - Never before seen gold mesh knobs and grill on Model R512W, "The Broadway. These gold mesh grill and knob inserts were not an after market modification by a previous owner. Not a huge variation on the design, but exceptional because it's rare to find manufacturing eccentricities among Zeniths. Nov 2024.

 

Ballet Pink Owl Eyes - Rare pink 1952 Zenith model J616. Yes, it's pink not exposed ivory, or faded coral. It is not repainted. Zeniths from this period are typically molded brown or black Bakelite, or factory painted ivory, gray, green, or coral. Zeniths are not normally found in rare colors. Sept 2024

 

 

Harvest Gold 1959 Travler Model 59C22 with Clock Light! - These late fifties Travlers and CBS's are rare to begin with. But, one with a adjustable clock light is very rare. Before LEDs, clock lights were mostly incandescent bulbs with filaments that would burn out after few weeks if left continuously on. Many manufacturers did not offer bulb illuminated clock dials as a result. What's more unusual about this Travler design is the front pot metal casting is unique to this example clock light feature. It is not just drilled out. It is a different factory casting. This rules it out as a DIY modification.

 

Cotton Candy Swirl 1948 Telechron Model 8H67 - No it's not painted. It is molded through and through in this red, white and blue swirly marbly urea plastic. This 8H67 model is more commonly found in brown molded Bakelite or lavender taupish factory painted Bakelite. Telechron invented the clock radio, an alarm clock that turned the radio at a set time. General Electric loved the idea so much they bought the Telechron company. We see GE Telechron clock movements in most of the clock radios from this time. As a large manufacturer GE did not offer many color options due to mass production constraints. 

 

 

 

Sahara Taupe 1959 Motorola Model 5T27N-1 - This 5T27N-1 similar to 57CD is usually found in cornflower blue, aquamarine turquoise, brown, and ivory. This is the first one we've seen in this sahara taupe tan color. It is not painted. It is molded in this color through and through. Motorola is a large manufacturer where economies of scale result in fewer one-offs. Making this particular example very rare.

 

 

 

1959 Truetone Model 59C22 - From a manufacturer who liked to try unique color combos, here's a very rare and odd colorway. The gray back, mustard, and red knobs have all been seen on other colorways for this model, but not together. The gray back is usually with white or red front. The harvest gold mustard front is usually paired with mustard or white back. The red knobs can be found with red back or front. No, this is not pieced together from parts of other radios. See gallery article on this particular radio. 

 

 

Mauve Tan 1952 Automatic Radio Mfg Model 4-A-127 - These plastic Automatic Radios from 1952 are usually found in chartreuse green, pastel blue, black, yellow, coral, and white. This mauve tan color is not painted. It is molded through and through, making this a very rare color.

 

Sandy Tan Mid Century 1957 Motorola Model 57H - Another tan unicorn. Maybe tan was a pilot run color for marketing purposes, but then not mass produced for whatever reason. This model is usually seen in green, blue, white, and brown. It is molded in plastic through and through. 

 

Citron Yellow 1957-58 Motorola Model 5C22Y - You want one too? This model is usually seen in pink, white, brown, and blue. To give you an idea. The last one we saw was 2020! No. It's not painted.

 

Monterey Blue 1957-58 Motorola Model 5C22Y - Very hard to find in this original molded in powder blended blue.

 

Cameo Pink 1938 Gilfillan Model 5B8 AM - This particular radio was sold to a famous rock star. Usually found in white, gray, and brown, any other color from this period is rare.

 

More to come. We will continue to add to this page with new GOAT NBS radios!